Molly's Day of Preoccupation
by Rose of the West
Summary: Molly has a secret that she needs to confirm and then tell Arthur, first. The sort of moment that could happen in any family. Cannon-compliant.


_Disclaimer: All JKR's people and places. _

The first symptom was the aching back. Although that could be because she had to rescue the twins from the top of their wardrobe, _again_. There was not a place in the house those two couldn't get, even at two and a half, and Bill and Charlie just thought it was funny. Honestly, those two were no help at all.

The second symptom was the change of shape. Frankly, it was bad enough being a bit on the round side without one's body suddenly pushing the round bit out even farther. It wasn't really noticeable, but some trousers were not fitting quite right. It didn't help that Ronnie kept jabbing his knees and elbows in some sensitive spots.

Which brought her to the third symptom. A certain area of her body was much more sensitive to touch. It was quite painful to be jabbed by a little one climbing into or out of her lap, (or making a game of it, as Percy was wont to do). However, that sensitivity had its advantages too, she reflected, remembering the way Arthur's touch had made her feel the night before.

No nausea or headaches. That was a blessing. She'd had her share of both, and likely would have more, but every day without was a good thing. She didn't fancy being ill with the twins so active.

The final symptom was actually a missing symptom. It didn't necessarily mean anything. It had been pretty irregular since the baby had been born, with nursing and all. Still, she had been following certain signs and was pretty sure she should have seen it recently.

Her brothers were going to watch the children while she was gone. She hoped the house would still be standing when she got back, but it wasn't to be helped. Arthur was working so hard at the Ministry, these days, and she didn't want to be a bother to him. She also hadn't told him of her suspicions, yet. She didn't want him worried about that unnecessarily when there was so much going on. She could laugh off the boys by telling them she had "woman stuff" to do in town and they wouldn't lift an eyebrow.

The healer asked questions, checked her thoroughly, and told her that she was right. He congratulated her and gave her the standard directions. He advised her to put her feet up as much as possible, in view of her history, but didn't anticipate any problems at this point.

After she left St. Mungo's, she wandered through Diagon Alley, taking advantage of the opportunity to window shop without six little boys. She loved looking in shop windows. Most likely, they could use hand-me-downs for everything. It didn't keep her from sighing over the sweet little items they had for girls. It didn't do to hope for something that wasn't at all likely.

As she apparated to Ottery St. Catchpole and walked the rest of the way to the Burrow, she wondered if they should have done more to prevent this. After all, these were dangerous times. Her brothers scared her to death with their stories of the near misses they'd been through. Stories of the homes they had reached too late were just heartbreaking.

Maybe, though, maybe this one would help to end the terror that gripped everyone. Maybe there was a great future for all of them. She hoped her brothers and their friends would find a way to end the problems, first, though. She hated to think of waiting as long as it would take her own children to grow up before He-who-must-not-be-named was defeated.

Her house was still standing, and the boys had taken good care of her children. They asked about her errands in town and she smiled enigmatically, answering that everything had gone well. She fixed dinner mechanically, trying to decide what she would tell Arthur. When it was Bill—she blushed to remember the night that followed her announcement then. They were probably too old for something like that. Although, she considered, not to old to find herself in the same condition yet again.

All of the boys, old and young, kept themselves and each other out of her way as she fixed dinner and then fed them. They could see that she had something on her mind and although her brothers dearly wanted to prise the secret from her, they decided to let it go. So they did justice to her delicious dinner, and kissed her as they loved to do, one on each cheek, before bidding her good night and leaving for whatever Order-related business they had that night.

Finally, as she was cleaning up after dinner and keeping an eye on her husband's still warm meal, she saw her husband's hand on the clock switch from "work" to "traveling." Suddenly he was emerging from his own hearth. They embraced and she helped him with his cloak, sitting him down in the most comfortable chair in the kitchen. She fixed his plate and set it in front of him on the table, and then sat beside him.

"So, Mollywobbles," Arthur said, watching his bride go pink at this use of his nickname for her, "when are you going to tell me that you're pregnant?"

_A/N: Most will have figured this out by the second or third paragraph, I think, certainly by the time the healer was done with her. I have at least one other story I "should" be working on, but let's just say the idea for this one caught my fancy in the past few days._


End file.
